By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
President-elect Lee Myung-bak is planning to merge similar ministries in line with his `small-government' plan.
His aides said Monday that Lee will cut the current 18 ministries and agencies ― four to six ministries are expected to be merged.
In particular, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development is on the top of the list of government offices to be removed over the long-term.
Most education related duties will be transferred to local education agencies or organizations, and the Ministry of Science and Technology will take over education support services, an aide to Lee said.
The plan is consistent with Lee's pledges to secure 20 trillion won by cutting the government budget by 10 percent in order to support education and welfare services.
The aide, who helped organize Lee's core pledges, said, ``The reorganization of government offices will be according to their functions.'' However, he declined to elaborate further, saying that the transition team will determine all the details of the reorganization.
``Obviously, the number of government ministries and agencies will decrease through functional adjustment but the number of public servants will remain the same,'' he continued. ``Overall, public services such as education and emergency services will increase while regulatory services will decrease.''
He made it clear that the Ministry of Education will be the first ministry to go through reform in order to remove education regulations. He added that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also implemented deregulation on education services.
Industry policy from the Ministry of Science and Technology will be coordinated with that of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy.
Lee is also considering merging the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, according to the source.
Another integration will likely take place between the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Planning and Budget, and between the Ministry of Construction and Transportation and the Ministry of the Environment.
The President-elect will also abolish the Government Information Agency, which led the shutdown of the government pressrooms, as he pledged during the presidential campaign.
Another aide to Lee said, ``The reorganization will be made totally based on function.''
Privatization of state-run companies will take place on a gradual basis beginning next year, according to the aide.
However, the transformation will be dictated by the National Assembly elections slated for April 9, as it requires revisions of the law governing government organizations.